So, while I was looking at a nice low cost source for 18650s, I came again at the sight of the Littokala store. What I found was digusting!

Then I noticed. The price of all 18650s have been cut by half, but many reviews are saying that their cells have leaked, have very low capacity, and have too low discharge rates. I would not buy any batteries from any of the Liitokala stores

User ActiveAI has tested the FAKE LIITOKALA 30Qs to have 2x the internal resistance than the legitimate ones. This means the cells have been swapped with Panasonic NCR18650PFs/LG MG1s, which have 3Ah of capacity, but are only rated up to 10A continuous compared to the 30Qs 15-20A!

It looks like there is more than one “LiitoKala” store. The LG HG2’s are cheaper at the “LiitoKala Official Store”. 6 for 13.61 free shipping to the US versus $15.46 free shipping to the US for the “LiitoKala factory store” store mentioned above. Don’t know if either or both are actually affiliated with LiitoKala.

Mmm, had to order some… I was yesterday giving a oxide removing vinegar bath to a couple cells (NCR18650B and 30Q) and somehow the rust debris being removed from their anodes ended up shorting the cells. I presume this could happen because the cells weren't lying straight up inside the glass container, as I had successfully done this that way before with no ill effects.

These batteries may be a good price, but it appears I would have to pay over US$22 for postage to Australia for just a few.
I would have to buy in bulk to make this deal worthwhile.
I don’t know why, because the other Chinese websites like Banggood and Gearbest only charge a few dollars postage, however the batteries are a bit more expensive. Flashlights, chargers etc are usually free postage.
Did you guys have to pay much postage to Europe or USA?

These batteries may be a good price, but it appears I would have to pay over US$22 for postage to Australia for just a few.
I would have to buy in bulk to make this deal worthwhile.
I don’t know why, because the other Chinese websites like Banggood and Gearbest only charge a few dollars postage, however the batteries are a bit more expensive. Flashlights, chargers etc are usually free postage.
Did you guys have to pay much postage to Europe or USA?

Perhaps you can get a small group buy going for Australians, whereby one of you would buy them and re-distribute to the others.

—

The Cycle of Goodness: “No one prospers without rendering benefit to others”
- The YKK Philosophy

Good idea DavidEF, but postage within Australia starts at about US$7.50 for a small parcel.
So we would have to be talking about a reasonable amount of batteries to make this viable to post to all the people.
I have just placed an order for 8-Samsung 18650 30Q in plastic cases (2×4) from Banggood for about US$41 including postage, which I think is a bargain. I used the code provided in the Banggood specials and coupons post, and by buying 2 packs of 4, reduced the postage to about a dollar.

For 10 samsung 25r batteries I can get 8 of them with the same price from nkon.nl, so probably going to buy my batteries from there. Also the shipping is faster and I think it would be more trouble free.

I purchased a 4 pack of 30q’s from the Liitokala Factory Store. What is the best way to test if they are legit when they arrive?

First, check the physical characteristics of the can, wrapping, code, and contacts. You can search to see what they should be, or compare them against a known legit cell.

Then, check the capacity (should be around 2900mAh). Then charge it up and make sure it holds voltage with a drop of no more than 0.002v per day (after the first day).

Then, make sure it’s high drain. If you have a BLF Q8, you can run it off a single cell. Even a flat top will work in the Q8, but be careful when tightening. You should get about 2500 lumen output from a single 30Q. Or at least try it in another high-drain light to make sure it behaves as expected.

After all that, it could still be fake. But, there are more expensive cells than a 30Q to fake, so it’s unlikely a 30Q fake would be so “good” as to pass the above tests.